Window-cleaner.



C. J. NORDSTROM.

WINDOW CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED fsa. 5. 1917.

1,282,620., y Patented 0@t.22,1918.

CHARLES J'. NORDSTROM, 0F E'VANSTON, ILLINOIS.

WIN DOW-CLEAN ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (ict. 22, 1218.

Application filed February 5, 191'?. Serial No. 146,820.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLns J. NORD- s'rnosr, a citizen of lthe UnitedStates, and resident of Evanston, county et Cook, and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful improvements in lVindow-Clean ers,of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

rlhe invention relates to window cleaners und has for its principalobject to provide a device which is adapted for frequent use to removeaccumulations of moisture and the like from windows through which aclear vision is required at all times. Further objects of the inventionare to provide a device which is substantially concealed trom View whennot in use and which is so conveniently operated that it may be usedwithout materially diverting the attention of the operator from otherwork, as the driving of an automobile. To this end the inventioncontemplates a squeegee having iiexible supports which are wound upon aspring roller.

rlhe invention is exemplified in the structure to be hereinafterdescribed and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein- Figure 1 is a sectional View illustrating one form of theimproved cleaner when mounted tor movement over the outer surface or anautomobile wind-shield, the wind-shield and details of the automobiletop being also shown7 and a different position of some oi2 the partsbeing shown by dotted lines,

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail sectional views taken on lthe lines 2-2 and 3 3respectively of Fig. 1, y

Fig. l is a sectional view taken on the line H of Fig. 3 but shows theoperating cord in a different position, and

Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional view taken centrally throughthe cleaning implement.

1While the device provided by the invention may be used for removingaccumulations of moisture and the like from the outer surface of anywindow, it is particularly useful in connection with automobilewindshields. The drawings show a familiar type of automobile wind-shieldcomprising upper and lower sections 11, 12, each having a swinging glasspanel, as 13 and 14. The

improved cleaner comprises a squeegee generally designated 15. rlhissqueegee is illustrated as comprising the usual rigid body strip 16 anda yielding marginal strip 17 of rubber or lilie material. As the use ci'the cleaner will only be required in stormy weather the cleaner may beassociated with the automobile top, as 18. This provides against thenecessity of permanently associatin any part of the cleaner with thewind-shield while still insuring that the squeegee 15 may be supper edin position for movement over the outer surface oit the glass panels13-14 whenever its use is required.

As usually constructed the trame of the automobile top 1S will comprisea iront cross piece 19 which extends some distance in liront ot' theupper edge of the wind-shield when the top is raised. The coveringmaterial, as 20, oi the top 18, on the other hand7 extends about the:trent cross piece 19 of the frame and rearwardly from its lower edge,forming a` Hexible flap 21 having its tree edge adjacent the upper edgeot the windshield. A substantially concealed pocket is thus providedabove and in front of the upper edge of the wind-shield. As the frontcross piece 19 of the 'trame et the top 1S constitutes the front wall ofthe pocket 22 this cross piece serves as a convenient support to whichthe improved cleaner may be attached. "When mounted upon this supportthe parts of the cleaner may be all contained in the pocket when thecleaner is not in the service.

In the construction shown a pair oi brackets, 23 and 24, are adjustablysecured against the inner surface of the front cross piece 19 of theframe ot' the automobile top. When this arrangement is employed a casing25 is held between the brackets 23 and 24 and each of the said bracketsis horizontally slotted, as at 26, (Fig. 4) to permit the adjustment ofthe casing with respect to the plane of the glass panels 13 14 of thewindw shield. A s shown, a pair of clamp screws 27 are applied to eachend of the casing 25 through the slot 26 of the corresponding bracket 23or 24.

The casing 25 serves for inclosing a spring roller generally designated28. This spring roller is conveniently formed to comprise a pair ofwinding drums 29 and 30, one at each end, and an intermediate connectingspindle 31. `When so formed, each of the drums, 29-30, is preferablyprovided with a gudgeon 32 upon its outer end and this gudgeon isjournalcd in the corresponding end wall of the casing 25. wWhile thegudgeons 32 serve as journals for supporting the roller 23 at its ends,additional supports are desirably provided intermediate the ends o' theroller. As shown, a pair of partition blocks 33 are mounted within thechamber of the casing 25 and the connecting spindle 31 is extendedthrough and journaled in both ot these partition blocks. rlfhe actuatingspring, as 34, is conveniently coiled about the spindle 31 between thetwo partition blocks Under these circumstances one end of the spring 34is tixed in the spindle 31, as at 35, while the other end of the springis Xed in the adjacent partition block 33, as at 36.

4The squeegee 15 is normally held in raised position against theunderside of the casing 25, as in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. For this purpose thesqueegee 15 is preferably hung` in a cord 37 and the two ends of thecord are passed through openings 40-41 in the iioor of the casing 25 andwound upon the drums 294430. As shown, the body strip 16 of the squeegeeis formed with openings 38 and 39 through which the cord 37 is passed,an intermediate part ot the cord being extended under the squeegeebetween the said opening. The operation of the cleaner is accomplishedby the use o a pull-cord 42 which extends from the mid-length of thesqueegee 15.

1n order that the view through the panels, as 13, 14, of the wind-shieldshould not be obstructed in any way when the use of the cleaner is notlikely to be required it is preferred that the full length of thepull-cord 42 should normally be contained within the pocket 22, as inFig. 4. Whenever the use of the cleaner is likely to be required theoperator may drop the pull-cord 42 in front of the wind-shield. Bytilting the upper panel 13 outwardly, to the position indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 1, he can then thread the end of thelcord throughan opening 43 in the bottom frame member, as 44, of the wind-shield. Asthe free end of the cord will now be conveniently accessible, theoperator may pull upon the oord whenever the glass panels, as 13, 14,become clouded. Such a pull upon the cord serves to draw the marginalstrip 17 of the squeegee downwardly over the outer face oit' the saidglass panels. Upon releasing the cord the spring roller serves to windup the ends of the cord 37 to draw the marginal strip 17 of the squeegeeupwardly over the outer :tace of the said glass panels. rlhis movement,of course, returns the squeegee to its concealed position within thepocket. 1f the point of attachment ot the pull-cord 42 with the squeegee15 is located in front ot the plane of the opening 38, 39 provided forreceiving the cord 37, the squeegee will be tilted in use to moreeliectively present the marginal strip 17 .to the surface of the glass.Furthermore, the slotted openings 26 in the brackets 23 and 24 permit ofa suitable adjustment of the easing 25 to insure that the marginal strip1l or the squeegee shall make contact with the glass surface.

As the cord 37 is tree to slide in the openings 38, 39 and against theunderside of the body strip 16 between the said openings, the squeegee15 may become tilted in use, if the accumulations upon the glass surfaceare such as to afford an ununitorm resistance to the movement of thesqueegee throughout its length. Should this tilting occur, the squeegeewill be immediately returned to a direct horizontal position when it isbrought against the underside of the casing 25 by the winding of theends of the cord 37 upon the drums 29 and 30. To prevent wear upon thecord 42 by repeated movements through the opening 43, a metal tube 45having rounded ends is preferably tted in the said opening. 1t will beunderstood that the opening 43 should be located directly below thepoint of connection of the pull-cord 42 with the body strip 16 of thesqueegee.

The construction provides a vwindow cleaner which may be completelyconcealed from View when not in use. Furthermore, the operation of theimproved cleaner is so conveniently accomplished that the cleaner may beused as often as may be necessary to maintain a clear View in front ofthe" operator, without interfering with other Vwork which the operatormay be required to do. lWhile the drawings illustrate the use of theimproved cleaner in connection with an automobile wind-shield it will beunderstood that it may be used with equal advantage upon locomotive caband street car windows, the windows of pilot houses for boats andlaunches, the windows of railroad switch towers and, in fact, upon anywindows where a clear vision is desired at all times.

1 claim as my invention:

ln a widow cleaner, thecombination of a casing, a spring rollerjournaled therein, a squeegee body having a pair of openings through thesame near its ends, a cord slidingly threaded through the said openingsin the squeegee body and having each of its ends wound upon the springroller, said squeegee body being adapted to return and engage the casing when released after an eperation and caused to assume its normalhorizontal position should it become tilted, and means attached to thesqucegee body 'for operating the same.

CHARLES J. NORDSTROM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, byaddressingthe Commissioner of IPatents, Washington, D. G.

